Poulan Pro HDF550L Owner's Manual page 9

OPERATION
NOTE: If at a high altitude (3000 feet) or in cold
temperatures (below 32°F), the carburetor fuel mixture
may need to be adjusted for best engine performance.
See "TO ADJUST CARBURETOR" in the Service and
Adjustments section of this manual
NOTE: If engine does not start, see troubleshooting
)oints.
SPARK PLUG
CHOKE
CC
THROTTLE
CONTROL
RECOIL STARTER
HANDLE
FIG. 8
BREAKING IN YOUR TILLER
Break-in your belt(s), pulleys and tine control before you
actually begin tilling.
• Start engine, tip tines off ground by pressing handles
downand engagetine controlto starttine rotation. Allow
tines to rotate for five minutes.
• Check tine operation and adjust if necessary. See
=TINE OPE RATION CH ECW'in the Service and Adjust-
ments section of this manual.
TILLING HINTS
I_1_ AUTION: Untilyouareaccustomedto I
handling your tiller, start actual field use
with throttle in slow position.
Tohelpt er move forward, liftupthehandlesslightly(thus
lifting depth stake out of ground). To slow down the tiller,
press down on handles.
If you are straining or tiller is shaking, the wheels and depth
stake are not set properly in the soil being tilled. The proper
setting ofthe wheels and depth stake isthreugh trialand error
and depends upon the soilcondition. (The harder or wetter
the ground the slower the engine and tine speed needed.
Under these poor condit ons, at fast speed the tiller will run
and jump over the ground).
A propedy adjusted tiller will dig with little effort from the
operator.
• Tilling is digging into, turning over, and breaking up
packed soilbefore planting. Loose, unpacked soil helps
rootgrowth. Best tilling depth is 4 "-6". A tiller will also
clear the soil of unwanted vegetation. The decomposi-
tion of this vegetable matter endches the soil. Depend-
ingonthe climate (rainfalland wind!, itmay beadvisable
to tillthe soil at the end of the growing season to further
condition the soil.
• Soil conditionsare important for proper tilling.Tines will
not readily penetrate dry, hard soilwhich maycontribute
to excessive bounce and difficult handling of your tiller.
Hard soil should be moistened before tilling; however,
extremely wet soil will =ball-up" or clump during tilling.
Walt untilthe soil is lesswet in orderto achieve the best
results. When tilling in the fall, remove vines and long
grass to prevent them from wrapping around the tine
shaft and slowing your tilling operation.
You will find tillingmuch easier if you leave a row untilled
between passes. Then go back between tilled rows.
(See Fig. 9) There are two reasons for doing this. First,
wide turns are much easier to negotiate than about-
faces. Second, the tiller won't be pulling itself,and you,
toward the row next to it.
Set depth stake and wheel height for shallowtillingwhen
working extremely hard soil or sod. Then work across
the first cuts at normal depth.
FIG. 9
CULTIVATING
Cultivating isdestroying the weeds between rowsto prevent
them from robbing nourishment and moisture from the
plants. At the same time, breaking up the upper layer of soil
crust will help retain moisture in the soil. Best digging depth
is 1 "-3".
• You will probably not need to usethe depth stake. Begin
by tipping the depth stake forward until it is held by the
stake spdng.
• Cultivate up and down the rows at a speed which will
allowtines touprootweeds and leave the groundin rough
condition, promoting no further growth of weeds and
grass (See Fig. 10).
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FIG._10